Stripe day gecko
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Striated day gecko ( Phelsuma standingi ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Phelsuma standingi | ||||||||||||
| Methuen & Hewitt , 1913 |
The stripe day gecko ( Phelsuma standingi ) is the second largest day gecko after the great Madagascar day gecko ( Phelsuma grandis ) and is native to southwest Madagascar . It is closely related to Phelsuma mutabilis .
features
The roughly equally large males and females reach a head-trunk length of 15 cm, a tail length of 11 to 13 cm and a body weight of about 75 g. This makes the stripe day gecko the second largest species of its genus worldwide. In terms of habit, the males are somewhat larger than the females. The drawing of the animals is variable, and the brightness of the colors depends on the respective mood. The brighter the animals, the more contrasting the body drawing stands out. Day geckos cannot change the body color itself. The name of the species comes from the much more clearly recognizable horizontal stripes in the young animals.
Special features of the horizontal stripe day geckos are the relatively small nasorostral scales, which are separated by two additional scales, and the proportions, which are rather unusual for geckos, between the length of the snout of 11 mm, the diameter of the eye socket of 5 to 6 mm and the length of the line between the eyes and ear opening of 7 mm. Further of these characteristics are the size and number of the chin scales, the scaling as well as the shape, scaling and segmentation of the tail.
The rostral scale is split at the top in the middle. There are nine upper and seven lower labial scales. There are eight pairs of chin shields between the lower ones, with the inner pairs being wider. The chin scale is subpentagonal shaped. The nostrils lie between the first upper labial scale, the nasorostral, postnasal and a smaller scale behind.
The body scales of the stripe day geckos are smooth and soft, the lateral ones are about the same size as the dorsal ones. The tail, oval in cross section, is not as wide as the back. The tail segments are covered on the top with six to seven transverse scale stripes. The underside of the tail is covered with irregular shields, but has an easily recognizable double row of large scales in the middle.
The top of the adult horizontal stripe day geckos is emerald green with numerous dark, irregular horizontal stripes. They have dark dots on their heads and the edge of the eyes is yellow to greenish. The upper part of the trunk is ash- to silver-gray in color and has irregular, worm-like stripes, sometimes also speckled. The underside is white to light gray, the neck with light blue-gray spots. The tail is colored blue to turquoise.
In contrast to other day geckos, the skin of the stripe day geckos is firmer and therefore less vulnerable.
Distribution and habitat
The stripe day geckos are endemic only in southwest Madagascar. Their distribution area extends from the Isalo National Park west in the Ihosy district via the Sakahara district to the coastal areas of Toliaras .
There they are usually found in pairs or alone on larger solitary trees such as acacia , tamarind and sterculia in thorn-shrub savannahs and deciduous thorn forests . It is also less common in populated areas. This zone is one of the hottest and least rainfall in Madagascar, and every now and then there are even years without precipitation.
Behavior and nutrition
The stripe day geckos are less shy, significantly more robust and more sensitive than other species of their genus. Apparently they live monogamous ; even after the partner's death, the surviving animal does not mate again. They are very aggressive towards other gecko species.
Mainly they hunt insects like butterflies, flies and mosquitoes in the rainy season, which they snatch out of the air with great skill. They also do not stop at small geckos and other reptiles as well as small mammals. In the dry season, they also have to feed on their fat reserves. It has rarely been observed that they feed on fruits and nectar.
The stripe day geckos mate during the rainy season from December to March, the time with the most forage. They show the most beautiful and strongest colors. After about six weeks, the females lay a pair of eggs in dark leaf axils up to six times. The young hatch after about two months. With their bright green tiger stripes, they are apparently protected from the cannibalism of adult day geckos of their kind. This color disappears after about eight to ten months. Sexual maturity occurs at just under two years of age.
Terrariums
There should be no problems with keeping, offspring and rearing. Transverse striped day geckos are not particularly aggressive towards other conspecifics, but when trying to mate the animals again after losing their partner, it must often be expected that violent bites can lead to the death of the opponents. Other gecko species can also be attacked and even eaten.
Based on a reptile report by the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forests in 1997, a terrarium of at least 80 cm in length and width and at least 120 cm in height should be used for keeping pairs , which is planted in a semi-humid climate with arch hemp plants and bromeliads in quartz sand soil. Since geckos are cold- blooded animals , it is important to attach heat and UV lamps . Furthermore, there should be bamboo tubes and vertical branches with a rough surface for climbing, as well as water and lime bowls.
The temperature should be around 28 ° C during the day (10 ° C more near the radiant heaters) and 15 ° C to 20 ° C at night. The relative humidity should be 50 to 65% during the day and 80% at night. In captivity, they can reach 28 years of age.
During the mating season, the female releases a clutch, mostly in pairs, about every four weeks. The young hatch at 27 ° C after about two months. They are compatible with each other up to sexual maturity in the second year. The distinctive coloring of the young probably keeps the old animals from cannibalism . In males, fragrance- producing pre-anofemoral pores are formed from the 14th month of life , and the anal area turns conspicuously yellow.
Endangerment and species protection
Through hunting , cultivation of non-woody crops, livestock and grazing, impact and fire clearance , charcoal production and fire protection measures, the tuck-day geckos are forced back into their habitat. In addition, the animal trade caused the wild populations of the horizontal striped day geckos to decline in the 1990s. About 760 animals were exported per year. No exports have been recorded since 2003. After an assessment by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2009, the species was classified as endangered .
According to the Washington Convention on the Protection of Species (Appendix II), commercial trade in all species of the day gecko genus is possible after a safety assessment by the exporting country. It is checked whether the trade endangers the survival of the species. However, individual animals are still being traded illegally. Conservation measures such as the establishment and management of protected areas are required to reduce the rate of habitat loss that is currently occurring within the species Phelsuma standingi . Further research and monitoring of the population distribution of this species and trade in it should be undertaken.
Taxonomy and nomenclature
In 1911 the stripe day gecko was discovered on a seven-month collecting expedition through Madagascar by Baron Paul Ayshford Methuen ( Transvaal Museum , Pretoria ) and the zoologist John Hewitt ( Albany Museum , Grahamstown ) and in 1913 in the Annals Of The Transvaal Museum in the essay On A Collection Of Reptiles From Madagascar Made During The Year 1911 in honor of the biologist, medic and palaeontologist Herbert F. Standing from Antananarivo as Phelsuma standingi .
The type specimen, a young animal, was found in southwest Madagascar in the forest on the Onilahy river between the villages of Maroamalona , Andranolaho and Tongobory and is still in the Transvaal Museum today.
Web links
- Phelsuma standingi in The Reptile Database
- Phelsuma standingi in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2010 Posted by: Christopher J. Raxworthy, M. Vences, 2009. Retrieved on February 12 of 2019.
- Stripe day gecko. Peter Dollinger, April 10, 2018, accessed February 10, 2019 .
- Gerhard Hallmann: Phelsuma standingi. Phelsuma Stakeholder Group, accessed February 10, 2019 .
literature
- Frank Glaw, M. Vences: A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar . 3. revised u. exp. Edition. Cologne 2007, ISBN 978-3-929449-03-7 .
- First description: Paul A. Methuen, J. Hewitt: On A Collection Of Reptiles From Madagascar Made During The Year 1911 . In: Annals Of The Transvaal Museum . Vol. 3, No. January 4 , 1913, p. 183-193 ( online [PDF]).
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b horizontal stripe day gecko. Peter Dollinger, April 10, 2018, accessed February 10, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g Paul A. Methuen, J. Hewitt: On A Collection Of Reptiles From Madagascar Made During The Year 1911 . In: Annals Of The Transvaal Museum . Vol. 3, No. January 4 , 1913, p. 183-193 ( online [PDF]).
- ^ A b Frank Glaw, M. Vences: A Field Guide to the Amphibians and Reptiles of Madagascar . 3. revised u. exp. Edition. Cologne 2007, ISBN 978-3-929449-03-7 .
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Gerhard Hallmann: Phelsuma standingi. Phelsuma Stakeholder Group, accessed February 10, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c Andreas Lösch: Phelsuma standigi: The transverse strip or thorn forest day gecko. bcs.marketing, May 4, 2009, accessed on February 12, 2019 .
- ↑ a b c d Christopher J. Raxworthy, M. Vences: Standing's Day Gecko. Phelsuma standingi. IUCN Global Species Program Red List Unit, 2010, accessed February 9, 2019 .
- ↑ a b Alexandra Laube: A Gecko Jewel: Standing Taggecko. Thorsten Negro, accessed February 12, 2019 .
- ^ Appendices I, II and III. CITES, October 4, 2017, accessed February 10, 2019 .
- ↑ CITES. Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, March 3, 2015, accessed on February 10, 2019 .